Dual Barrier Blocks Immunotherapy

Research published in Nature Genetics by Dr. Eduard Batlle, Dr. Alejandro Prados and Dr. Holger Heyn (CNAG) has uncovered that metastatic colorectal tumours evade immunotherapy by building a dual protective barrier driven by TGF-β signalling. The researchers have shown that this mechanism simultaneously prevents sufficient T cells from reaching the tumour and limits the activity of those that do infiltrate, effectively shielding the cancer from immune attack.

The work has established that TGF-β also reprogrammes macrophages to produce osteopontin, further suppressing the expansion of anti-tumour T cells and reinforcing immune resistance. These findings help explain the poor response of many patients to immunotherapy and open up new opportunities for combination strategies that could disable these barriers and restore effective anti-cancer immune responses.

More information: Colorectal cancer evades immunotherapy using a dual barrier